The management of arable land from prehistory to the present: Case studies from the Northern Isles of Scotland

The arable soils from two multiperiod settlements were analyzed to identify changes in agricultural methods over time. The settlement middens were also analyzed to determine whether potential fertilizers were discarded unused. Results suggest that in the Neolithic period (˜4000–2000 B.C. in the UK) the arable soils at Tofts Ness, Orkney, and Old Scatness, Shetland, were created by flattening and cultivating the settlements' midden heaps in situ. The arable area at Tofts Ness was expanded in the Bronze Age (˜2000–700 B.C. in the UK), and the new land was improved by the addition of ash, nightsoil, and domestic waste. Cultivation continued briefly after the fields were buried in windblown sand in the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age, but by the Early Iron Age cultivation ceased and organic‐rich material was allowed to accumulate within the settlement. By contrast, at Old Scatness, arable production was increased in the Iron Age (˜700 B.C.–A.D. 550 in Scotland) by the intensive use of animal manures. The results indicate that during the lifespan of the two settlements the arable soils were fertilized to increase production, which was intensified over time. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Characterizing anthropic sediments in north European Neolithic settlements: An assessment from Skara Brae,Orkney

The creation of anthropic sediments, traditionally referred to under the blanket term midden, through the utilization of settlement waste materials in domestic settlement construction was first recognized during early excavations at the Orcadian Neolithic site of Skara Brae (V.G. Childe, 1931a; 1931b). Prior to the present study there has been no systematic attempt to identify the nature of these sediments at Skara Brae, whose likely occupation dates between ˜3100 and 2500 B.C., or to assess whether different materials were incorporated into construction or varied with different phases of site formation. The opportunity to begin addressing these issues arose with the location of undisturbed sediment samples held in storage since the last site excavations of 1972–1973 (D.V. Clarke, 1976). Ten thin sections were manufactured from these samples, representing earlier and later phases of Neolithic settlement at Skara Brae. Observations using thin‐section micromorphology, supported by total phosphorus and particle‐size distribution analyses, suggest that both earlier and later settlement phases show accumulation of household waste dominated by fuel residues. These wastes may have been used to help stabilize wind‐blown sand deposits during the later settlement phases. In addition, the use of clay material tempered with household waste is associated with wall construction. Animal manures are only evident in anthropic deposits on the edge of the main settlement site where composting may have been taking place, and there is no evidence for their use in site construction. The authors conclude by drawing attention to possible diverse uses of anthropic sediments in settlement construction at other Neolithic settlements in Orkney. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Phase relations, singularities and thermobarometry of metamorphic assemblages containing phengite, chlorite, biotite, K-feldspar, quartz and H2O

The phase relations of divariant and trivariant assemblages involving combinations of phengite, chlorite, biotite, K-feldspar, quartz and H₂O in the KFASH, KMASH and KFMASH systems were calculated using a single thermodynamic data set (Holland and Powell 1998). The stability fields of the various equilibria are represented in P-T projections by contouring sets of compositional isopleths for the Tschermak (Al₂(Fe,Mg)₋₁Si₋₁) and FeMg₋₁ exchanges controlled by the coexisting phases. Five multivariant continuous equilibria, which occur in different regions of P-T-X space, are calibrated as thermobarometers in metamorphic rocks of pelitic to quartzofeldspathic composition. More subtle P-T information, relating to the trajectories (dT/dz) along which reacting rocks have been buried or exhumed, can be extracted from the continuous reactions by investigating the recorded compositional trends in the Al₂(Fe,Mg)₋₁Si₋₁ and FeMg₋₁ solutions. Singularities in P-T space are associated with some of these reactions and may result in unusual mineral textures and compositional trends. A fluid-absent singularity has particular petrological significance because it marks the transition between hydration and dehydration along a single reaction with increasing pressure and temperature. This behaviour causes the sequence of reactions among these minerals observed during metamorphism to be critically dependent on the P-T trajectory. Thermobarometric calculations show good agreement with respect to experimental and field-based data for phengite compositions less than about 50 mol% celadonite (<∼3.5 Si p.f.u. phengite). Received: 15 November 1999 / Accepted: 3 April 2000     

The SCUBA HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES) – VII. Optical/IR photometry and stellar masses of submillimetre galaxies

We present estimates of the photometric redshifts, stellar masses and star formation histories of sources in the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES). This paper describes the 60 SCUBA sources detected in the Lockman Hole covering an area of ∼320 arcmin². Using photometry spanning the B band to 8 μm, we find that the average SCUBA source forms a significant fraction of its stars in an early period of star formation and that most of the remainder forms in a shorter more intense burst around the redshift it is observed. This trend does not vary significantly with source redshift. However, the sources show a clear increase in stellar mass with redshift, consistent with downsizing. In terms of spectral energy distribution types, only two out of the 51 sources we have obtained photometric redshifts for are best fitted by a quasar-like spectrum, with approximately 80 per cent of the sources being best fitted with late-type spectra (Sc, Im and starburst). By including photometry at 850 μm, we conclude that the average SCUBA source is forming stars at a rate somewhere between 6 and 30 times the rate implied from the rest-frame optical in a dust obscured burst and that this burst creates 15–65 per cent of the total stellar mass. Using a simplistic calculation, we estimate from the average star formation history that between one in five and one in 15 bright  ( L _*+ 2 < L _optical < L _*− 1 mag)  galaxies in the field over the interval  0 < z < 3  will at some point in their lifetime experience a similar energetic dusty burst of star formation. Finally, we compute the evolution of the star formation rate density and find it peaks around   z ∼ 2  .     

Analytical model for computing residence times near a pumping well

An analytical solution for calculating the residence time of fluid flowing toward a pumping well in an unconfined aquifer has been developed. The analytical solution was derived based on a radial, steady-state, Dupuit-Forchheimer flow model. The resulting integral expression involved computing the imaginary error function, for which a simple series expansion is proposed. The validity of the analytical expression is demonstrated by testing its results against numerical results for an example problem. The analytical solution compared favorably with the numerical approximation.     

Geochemical and hydrogeological contrasts between shallow and deeper aquifers in two villages of Araihazar, Bangladesh: Implications for deeper aquifers as drinking water sources

Sediment and groundwater profiles were compared in two villages of Bangladesh to understand the geochemical and hydrogeological factors that regulate dissolved As concentrations in groundwater. In both villages, fine-grained sediment layers separate shallow aquifers (< 28 m) high in As from deeper aquifers (40-90 m) containing < 10 μg/L As. In one village (Dari), radiocarbon dating indicates deposition of the deeper aquifer sediments > 50 ka ago and a groundwater age of thousands of years. In the other village (Bay), the sediment is < 20 ka old down to 90 m and the deeper aquifer groundwater is younger, on the order of hundreds of years. The shallow aquifers in both villages that are high in As contain bomb-³H and bomb-¹⁴C, indicating recent recharge. The major and minor ion compositions of the shallow and deeper aquifers also differ significantly. Deeper aquifer water is of the Na⁺-HCO₃^- type, with relatively little dissolved NH₄⁺ (76 ± 192 μmol/L), Fe (27 ± 43 μmol/L) and Mn (3 ± 2 μmol/L). In contrast, shallow aquifer water is of the Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-HCO₃^- type, with elevated concentrations of dissolved NH₄⁺ (306 ± 355 μmol/L), Fe (191 ± 73 μmol/L), and Mn (27 ± 43 μmol/L). In both villages, the quantity of As extractable from deeper aquifer sands with a 1 mol/L phosphate solution (0.2 ± 0.3 mg/kg, n = 12; 0.1 ± 0.1 mg/kg, n = 5) is 1 order of magnitude lower than P-extractable As from shallow deposits (1.7 ± 1.2 mg/kg, n = 9; 1.4 ± 2.0 mg/kg, n = 11). The differences suggest that the concentration of P-extractable As in the sediment is a factor controlling the concentration of As in groundwater. Low P-extractable As levels are observed in both deeper aquifers that are low in As, even though there is a large difference in the time of deposition of these aquifers in the two villages. The geochemical data and hydrographs presented in this study suggest that both Holocene and Pleistocene deeper aquifers that are low in As should be a viable source of drinking water as long as withdrawals do not exceed recharge rates of ∼1 cm/yr.     

Growing mountain ranges and quenched river networks

River networks in mountain ranges owe their existence to the competing effects of tectonic uplift and climate-controlled erosion. However, paradoxically, the universal geometric properties of river networks are independent of both tectonics and climate. Currently, this paradox has still not been resolved. Here we propose a solution that consists in considering that the geometry of river networks is established on the lowland margins of incipient uplifts, and is quenched into the erosion zone as the mountain belts widen with time. In our model, the geometry of river networks simply reflects the downward coalescence of alluvial rivers on un-dissected surfaces outside of mountain belts, and is therefore independent of erosion processes. To cite this article: S. Castelltort, G. Simpson, C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).